For years now, Robin Edgar has been trying to pass himself off as a ‘voice of conscience’ for Unitarian Universalists, dictating how he thinks the UUA and other groups should do things, from ministerial ethics to protests and membership policies (oh, and let’s not forget his idea of holding an interfaith celerbration every time there is a solar eclipse).

So we have to wonder – if Robin Edgar were actually in charge of the Unitarian Universalist Association, what would happen? Based on his writings and behaviour, here are some thoughts:

Say good-bye to democracy. Since Robin Edgar was expelled from the Unitarian Church of Montreal by a democratic vote of their membership, and since this is such a sticking point for him, we could foresee that he would institute some way of vetoing or overriding such votes in the future, if not doing away with them altogether.

Whither the CUC? The Montreal church is under the direct purview of the CUC, and yet Robin Edgar has focused so much of his rage and obsession on the UUA. Either he does not think the Canadian Unitarian Council exists, or he believes it to be merely a puppet of the UUA. We can only imagine how relations between the two groups would sour.

So long to UU ministers. Robin Edgar has had it in for so many of them, constantly demanding that they be held to a standard of behaviour so outrageously high that it would drive many of them away, and those who did not leave would face constant scrutiny and draconian sanctions for even the smallest of infractions.

He would likely cripple the ability of local churches and fellowships to exclude or remove disruptive individuals from membership. That, unfortunately, would lead to many current members leaving, local congregations collapsing, and a considerable number of surviving congregations choosing to leave rather than submit to his whims.

So long to UU atheists and humanists, for whom Robin Edgar saves a considerable amount of venom. Having blamed ‘fundamentalist atheists’ for his own supposed downfall (gee, Robin, we never knew you were high enough to fall from anywhere) he would begin the first-ever purge of UU membership rolls based on belief.

This is all speculation of course, and if it sounds disturbing to you, please just consider the mind of the man we are dealing with. Robin Edgar has set himself up as the sole arbiter of what UUs ought to be doing, all centred around his own fixations and wounded ego. He has been asked what he wants, and whenever he chooses to answer, his demands are so grandiose and unrealistic, they cannot be taken seriously. But the damage he has done, and continues to do, must be taken seriously. UUs need to keep this man at a distance, and continue to insist that he gets the professional help he obviously needs.

Robin Edgar has posted another attack on the UUA and its Ministerial Fellowship Committee. His message is at least consistent, in that he believes that if an organization or person does not do as he demands, then they must be endorsing the alleged offenses which he continually complains about.

Apparently, Mister Edgar believes that the MFC should police every single minister over every single word they say, and if any minister says anything of which he does not approve, then that minister ought to be punished right away.

And yet, Robin Edgar also believes that he is free to insult any and every Unitarian Universalist individual or group which he deems worthy of attack. Here he seeks to dictate what conduct is ethical for UUs in general, and UU ministers in particular, while excusing himself from those very standards.

Once again, Robin Edgar has betrayed his own hypocrisy. Unless, of course, he is somehow oblivious to the contradictions between how he behaves and what he demands of others. Narcissists, after all, typically seem oblivious to how self-centered they are, as do many other people with deep-seated psychological problems and personality disorders.

All of this began because Robin Edgar alleged that a minister called him crazy. For all we know, that minister may have said that others at the Unitarian Church of Montreal were concerned about his state of mind, because of the behaviour he was exhibiting. Yes, we say ‘alleged’ because we have seen Robin Edgar play fast and loose with the truth before, whenever it suits him. Considering how long this has gone on, and how unproductive it is, we can only hope that Mister Edgar realizes that the best course of action right now is to stop lashing out at so many people and get the professional help he so clearly needs.

It’s not enough for Robin Edgar to go out of his way to insult and offend any and every UU who does not fulfill his egocentric need for attention and retribution. (Remember, dear readers, he admits that such behaviour is deliberate on his part.) Now he has to insinuate that all UU leaders are complicit in any and every action of which he disapproves.

His latest target: The Board of Trustees of the Unitarian Universalist Association.

Why? Well, let’s see…

He thinks Reverend Victoria Weinstein should be punished for certain statements made on her “Peacebang” blog, including statements which she herself removed. If the Board does not agree, then the Board is complicit and therefore guilty.

He thinks that one or more UU ministers are behind this blog, and even though he has absolutely no proof of that, since the Board will not take action against us, then they are complicit and therefore guilty.

He continues to harp that Reverend Ray Drennan was verbally and psychologically abusive towards him, and therefore must be punished – even though he has been retired from active ministry for many, many years – and since the Board will not compel the UUA’s Ministerial Fellowship Committee to reopen the case simply because he demands it, then they are complicit and therefore guilty.

The list of “offenders” goes on and on – basically any UU who has the intelligence and fortitude to tell this man, ‘No, you cannot have your way simply because you believe you’re right about everything’ – and because the Board will not do as he demands (yes, he specifically told the Board in his latest communication that he demands that they act on his lengthy list of complaints) then they are just as guilty.

It’s like filing a lawsuit against your neighbor, and then when the judge determines there is no evidence and therefore no case, then you sue the judge for ‘complicity’ with the neighbor. Worse, you sue anybody and everybody who had even the most remote association with the neighbor and the judge, all to bully them into giving you what you want.

One question, Mister Edgar – Are you even a member of any Unitarian Universalist congregation? You could have joined the Lakeshore UU Congregation in the Montreal area, or the Church of the Larger Fellowship. No? So why do you keep complaining that the UUA, CUC and other UU bodies will not do as you say? If you are not a member, then what standing do you have to demand such things of the Board? Oh, that’s right – you were a member of the Unitarian Church of Montreal … until they got fed up with your disruptive, abusive and obsessive antics, and after suspending your membership twice, finally decided enough was enough and showed you the door. And what have you done since then? Picket in front of that door, and demand that anybody who might hear you join in your rage-filled drive for ‘justice’.

All of this was based because, as you say, the former minister of the Montreal church alleged that you might be mentally ill. So let’s put that to rest once and for all. Go to a qualified and impartial psychiatrist, and let him or her evaluate you.If, as you say, there is nothing to this allegation, then what are you afraid of?

So Robin Edgar continues his picketing and harassing of the Unitarian Church of Montreal, explicitly stating that he chose a Saturday concert instead of a Sunday service ‘because they normally attract non-Unitarian members of the public’. So much for merely protesting for a redress of his grievances; it is clear he’s out to embarass and bad-mouth Unitarian Universalists for not kow-towing to his demands.

We also noticed this interesting observation on his ‘Emerson Avenger’ post:

‘[U]nlike some concerts held at the Unitarian Church of Montreal, this one was very well attended by members of the non-U*U public, including quite a few twenty something people who were most probably university students. This unusually high number of students showing up for a classical concert at the Unitarian Church of Montreal might have *something* to do with the fact that students were granted free admission rather than a reduced ticket price.

Can U*Us say “recruiting”?’

Yes, Robin Edgar, Unitarian Universalists reach out to college students and young people, even offering incentives for them to attend their events and meet like-minded people. So does every other religious group. So do political groups and college fraternities.

You yourself tried to ‘recruit’ other people into holding your ‘Creation Day’ services whenever there was a total eclipse of the sun, based on your belief that God put it there for some significant purpose. Then, when the Montreal church decided it wasn’t worth the time and resources to host your events, you threw a temper tantrum. Now you’ve been on a hate-filled, insult-laden crusade ever since, even trying to recruit other people into joining that crusade, and when they don’t back your actions one hundred percent, then you turn against them, too.

Groups like the Montreal church have the right to recruit. They also have the right to refuse or withdraw membership to those who violate their rules. That’s what they did, and it’s time you got over it. But since it is abundantly clear, after so many fruitless years, that you are totally incapabale of moving on, then you need help, in the form of a qualified mental health therapist.

As for the Montreal church, we repeat once more that it is high time you deal with this stalker once and for all. File a complaint of criminal harassment under Section 264 of Canada’s criminal code. Get this man off your sidewalk permanently, before he goes off the deep end and seeks a ‘permanent’ solution to his endlessly increasing list of complaints.

Robin Edgar has now posted six resolutions he has made, and true to form, they all sound like threats agains Unitarian Universalists and anybody else who dares to question his one-sided view of the world (namely, that he is the righteous victim, and anybody who dares disagrees with him is a ‘Big Fat U*U Hypocritical Boneheadly Stupid Liar’, or something to that effect).

Read for yourself…

Resolution #1 – File one or more clergy misconduct complaints against one or more “less than excellent” U*U ministers in order to assess whether or not UUA President Peter Morales will actually live up to his promise to have the most transparent and accountable UUA administration ever.

In other words, if Peter Morales does not do what he wants, then he shall add him to his list of targets for harassment and bile. Notice that Mister Edgar does not even bother to consider whether his complaints might have merit, as he automatically assumes that his complaints always do. Remember the first of Robin Edgar’s Rules of Self-Righteousness: he is never wrong and can do no wrong. No matter how frivolous, bizarre or unsubstantial his complaint, it does not matter. The fact that he filed it, and that he considers it valid and important (because, after all, Robin Edgar is so very important!) should compel the UUA to follow it — and justify his harassing UU leaders when they do not.

Resolution #2 – Seriously consider filing one or more Police Ethics Commission complaints against one or more Station 11 police officers who behaved in a “less than professional” manner that *could* be considered to constitute police intimidation and harassment during 2010. The flip side of this coin is of course publicly commending those Station 11 police officers who have behaved in a genuinely polite and professional manner during their interactions with me.

Be bad to Robin Edgar, he will be bad to you. Be good to him, and he might be good to you (or, he may demand that you get yourself further engulfed in his endless crusade for attention and validation). Nor does he limit his narcissistic demands to UUs, but extends them to police and government agencies. Everybody must do as he wishes, and nobody must question him.

Resolution #3 – Look into the possibility of laying pertinent criminal charges against the deeply misguided female member of the Unitarian Church of Montreal who falsely accused me of pushing her while I was protesting during the Unitarian Church of Montreal’s “Bid Nite” fund-raising auction in mid-November 2010.

Well, Mister Edgar, why were you picketing them in the first place? Oh, that’s right – you’re still filled with rage over their kicking you out eleven years ago after enduring years of disruptive and abusive behaviour from you, including endless demands for attention and ‘justice’. Apparently you do not believe that churches and other private groups have the right to decide who can and cannot be a member, and under what terms. No, you declare the right to impose your will on them.

As for your allegations of being ‘falsely accused’? How many times have you lodged this complaint, and then when evidence of your behaviour is put forward, you then try to rationalize it? How many times have you been found guilty of false accusations and hyperbole?

Resolution #4 – Buy an Amtrak pass or Greyhound pass good for one month and go “spiralling down” south of the border to protest in front of as many Unitarian*Universalist churches as possible during a period of up to one month.

So much for Robin Edgar’s continual assertion that he’s not against all UUs – only those he deems guilty of ‘injustices, abuses and hypocrisies’. Why, then, ‘protest in front of as many Unitarian*Universalist churches as possible’? You might as well picket every white person for crimes against people of African, Latin or First Nation ancestry. No, the only reasons for picketing ‘as many churches as possible’ – even those who have never heard of you or your complaints – is an obsessive all-or-nothing approach to ‘justice’. Either all UUs do as you demand, or all are guilty by association and thus worthy of your wrath. Some justice!

Resolution #5 – Attend at least one, and possibly two or more, UUA Board of Trustees meetings during 2011 in order to follow-up on the “obviously deep concerns” that I shared with most if not all UUA trustees and key staff members of President Peter Morales’ UUA administration, not the least of them being Rev. Peter Morales himself, “less than sincere” UUA Vice President Kay Montgomery, and Vioe President of Ministries Rev. Harlan Limpert.

Once again, Robin Edgar insists that the UUA’s leadership accept his endless complaints – and his extreme demands for ‘justice’ – without question. He is never wrong, so his complaints and demands are ‘obviously deep concerns’. He can do no wrong, so continually harassing churches and meetings with pickets and disruptions is justified in his eyes. He is not to be ignored, and so any UU leader who does not heed his demand is subject, at least, to yet more accusations and insults.

Resolution #6 – Create six brand-spanking new picket signs to replace those picket signs that were stolen and/or vandalized by Unitarian*Universalist petty thieves and Big Fat U*U Vandals. . . These new picket signs will be bright orange rather than yellow and *some* of them will reference the UUA’s Standing On The Side Of Love campaign. I have already bought the six sheets of bright orange Coroplast corrugated plastic material required for making these new picket signs.

It’s not enough to say he’s creating new picket signs, or even to explain that the reason is because of theft and vandalism. No, he has to let loose yet another accusation against UUs. Since he was picketing UUs, then UUs must have stolen or vandalised his signs. So where’s the proof, Mister Edgar? Have you filed a criminal complaint against anybody? Has the police arrested anybody for this?

New Year’s Resolutions are usually meant to commit oneself to making a change in one’s life. Instead, Robin Edgar has committed himself to threatening UUs with more of the same – more attacks, abuse, harassment and insults. We suggest that UUs resolve to hold their ground, and let Robin Edgar know that his offensive behaviour will not be tolerated.

As for Robin Edgar, we suggest a more constructive resolution for 2011: Go see a psychiatrist.Your obsession and rage have gotten you nowhere, and cannot be good for you. Since you’re not able to let go and move on by yourself, we join the chorus of those who have encountered your bile and narcissism in saying that it is high time that you get help.